The Sunnydale Chronicles
by Knife Hand
Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate. Chapter 9 Up
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

A/N: this chapter is mostly Setup of the choices for the Game. The options below for the game have been posted on Twisting The Hellmouth as a Challenge, so anyone is able to write their own fic with the choices and run with it.

* * *

The bus was bouncing along the highway, speeding away from the crater that Sunnydale had become, when the entire world stopped. Well, the entire world except for Xander. He looked around and could see everyone else frozen for a moment before the world around him faded to black, before words were superimposed over his vision.

 **Game Over**

 **Result: Head Above Water – Barely.**

A roll of text followed that outlined everything that had happened since the day Buffy had first come to Sunnydale. There were a lot of cringeworthy events that happened, but with all that had happened over the last several years had kind of desensitised Xander to weird events, even that his entire life was a game.

The 'screen' went to the main menu pronouncing the name of the game as 'The Sunnydale Chronicles' with 'Start New Game' and 'Memories' options. After checking out the 'Memories' button which had replays of the various events that had happened, Xander clicked on the 'Start New Game' button. Again, text began to scroll across Xander's vision.

 _Welcome to the Sunnydale Chronicles. Sunnydale not your ordinary town. It is the home of Demons, Vampires, Witches, Werewolves, Ghosts and Slayers. The fate of the world rests on the decisions made in this sleepy looking town, but the decisions that can save or condemn the world are not made by the Mystical Slayer or a Demon Prince. No, the fate of the world rests in the hands of an ordinary young man named Xander Harris._

The text scrolled off Xander's vision to be replaced by a single screen which had an image of Xander on the left and a small section of text on the right with four buttons below it. The top button was labelled 'Optional Trait', the second was labelled 'Starting Support Team', the third bore the title 'Select Starting Slayer' and the bottom button, which was greyed out, read 'Start Game'. He quickly read the trait information at the top of the screen.

 _ **Tears of a Clown**_ _: Xander has the ability to crack jokes with perfect timing to alleviate stress from his team mates and friends or to protect them. Often he will do this at his own expense. This trait negatively affects Xander's popularity with the 'Popular' crowd, but can provide positive bonuses to individuals or to 'outcast' groups depending on the situation._

Curious about the possibility, Xander pushed the 'Select Starting Slayer' button, which took him to a new screen, listing the details of the three possible Slayers with a face shot next to the description

 _ **Buffy Summers:**_ _Buffy is a modern and independent young woman who is as interested in her personal life as much, if not more, than she is in Slaying. Good at socialisation but can be a bit 'bitchy' at times. Best suited to a Xander who has 'Carpenter' or 'One Who Sees' Traits. Her fighting style is adaptive with a bit of flair but not overly technical._

 _ **Kendra:**_ _Kendra has been trained since she was young for the potential to be a Slayer. She is very disciplined and will obey almost any order given by a 'superior'. Best suited to a Xander with 'Soldier Instincts' or 'One Who Sees' Traits. Her fighting style is almost technically perfect but not overly adaptive so she can be found flatfooted if faced with an unexpected fighting style._

 _ **Faith Lehane:**_ _Faith is a rough and undisciplined Slayer, who lets her instincts and desires lead her. She is outgoing and exudes sexual confidence, but can be taunted and tricked into rash action. Best suited to a Xander with 'Hyena Instincts' or 'One Who Sees' Trait. Her fighting style is a mix of dirty street fighting, boxing and 'movie martial arts', resulting in gaps in her style that can be exploited._

 _ **Once the Starting Slayer has been selected, no new Slayer can be added until the previous Slayer dies or a rare and difficult spell, potentially sacrificing a valuable Support Team Member', is involved, then Xander can select the Next Slayer.**_

Backing out of the screen, Xander next selected the 'Optional Trait' button. The header indicated that only one of the Traits can be chosen and are generated based on experiences from previous playthroughs.

 _ **Soldier Instincts:**_ _Xander is more disciplined and good with modern weapons and knives. While this Trait improves Xander's Combat abilities, it has a negative penalty on social interactions with anyone not at friend status due to his rigid discipline. This Trait modifies 'Tears of a Clown' so that he has more control over when he activates that Trait but reduces the positive social benefits to individuals or 'Outcast' groups until they reach 'friend' or 'trusted' status._

 _ **Hyena Instincts:**_ _This trait Increases Xander's Strength and Speed and provides him with the ability to track individuals by scent. While this trait may also allow Xander to make quick friends due to a more charismatic outlook it can also cause a lot of enmity due to his 'Predatory' approach._

 _ **Carpenter:**_ _Xander is very good with his hands and understands more by doing than by reading. This trait improves the quality of stakes carved by Xander and gives him a more logical workmanlike approach to problem solving. This trait can give him a a chance at a supplementary source of income and slight increase in situational awareness._

 _ **One Who Sees:**_ _This trait gives Xander an increased awareness of what is happening around him, both socially and in combat. This allows Xander to influence individuals and increase social interactions by 'reading' their emotions. Not quite an empath, but smooth in a Xander kind of way. As a downside, this also makes Xander a bigger target for enemies as they want to deprive the group of his talents._

Finally, Xander checked out the 'Starting Support Team'. This screen had a header that read only two of the choices could be selected as initial Support Team, though the remainder and others would be available at a later date. The entries also had head shots of the person next to them.

 _ **Willow Rosenberg:**_ _An extremely smart, if socially awkward young woman. She is top of the class at schoolwork and a capable researcher both through books and electronically, but has an addictive personality which can cause her issues. She is capable of hacking computers and has Magical potential. She can be focused either into technical and research support or as a Magical Powerhouse but not both. Not a proficient fighter but she can have a range of combat orientated spells if she chooses Magical Powerhouse option._

 _ **Jessie McNally:**_ _Jessie is a bit of a 'blank slate' option, capable of becoming a solid researcher, a fighter, charmer or all-rounder depending on how he is trained and used. He has a crush on Cordelia so he has the potential to charm Cordelia as an additional way to get Cordelia into the group._

 _ **Cordelia Chase:**_ _A High Class Socialite, Cordelia is extremely popular and gives massive bonuses to social interactions in the School Community. As a Cheerleader, she is extremely fit and as long as she thinks of the fighting style as a 'routine' she is quite capable in combat in a support capacity. Her blunt manner can cause tension if she is in the same team as Willow, Jonathan or Jessie (at least at first)._

 _ **Johnathan Levenson:**_ _Short, nerdy and socially awkward, Jonathan does not appear to have much going for him, but he is a capable researcher and can provide some minor support spells in combat situations_

 _ **Daniel 'Oz' Osborne:**_ _A stoic musician, but very intelligent. He is laconic but is very capable at research and provides social bonuses to fringe social groups and provides easier access to the Bronze and other entertainment sites. Can be capable support fighter in combat. At later stage has the potential to become a Werewolf which increases his abilities in combat when not transformed but makes him unavailable and dangerous in Werewolf form ('Hyena Instincts' Trait can allow Xander a method help channel and direct Oz's Werewolf Instincts making him available but volatile during the full moon)._

 _ **Tara Mclay:**_ _Tara is a Shy but capable young woman who has a basic grounding in the Wiccan Religion and a novice Witch. She takes time to make friends but is extremely loyal once she makes friends. Capable at schoolwork and research but is weak in combat to start with. She has a few combat orientated spells but they can drain her fast, and is much more capable at protective rituals (though they need preparation so can't be used in combat)._

Backing out to the Start Game menu, Xander began to consider his options. Upon reflection, given all of things he had experienced, he figured he had real two ways of going about the choices. He could select his Optional Trait first and then select the compatible Slayer and the Support Team last or select the Slayer first then the Optional Trait and the Support Team last.

He figured that the last Playthrough was the first and Buffy had been selected as the Slayer with Willow and Jessie as the Support Team. For half a second he wanted to re-select the same to relive the few good memories, but then he thought about some of the bad experiences too. This was, maybe, an opportunity to change things for the better, or at least something more interesting.

TBC…


	2. Chapter 2

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

A/N: I will not be taking suggestions or doing polls on which choices Xander makes in this fic. If you want to see something specific that differs to what I write, go and write it yourself, that is why I posted the challenge.

* * *

After almost an hour, Xander finally decided that he was going to select the Starting Slayer first, and he was going with Faith. While Buffy was a good friend, she had an obsession to be 'normal' that had gotten the team in trouble a number of times and she had a touch of Megalomania, thinking that because she was the Slayer she was better than the rest of the group even in areas she had no experience in. Kendra had been considered but he never really knew much about her and she had seemed very ridged in her attitude. Faith, on the other hand, had the spontaneity that Kendra lacked and a commitment to Slaying that Buffy had never had. Also, Faith had become a good friend of Xander in the later years, particularly after she had surrendered herself to prison. Looking back, Xander realised that it had been the group's own attitude, expecting her to be a 'spare Slayer' to fill in for Buffy rather than a person in her own right, that had driven Faith away and then their need to 'punish' Faith for an accidental human death (despite the fact that Buffy had killed that human Tarrakan with barely a comment) that had driven her into the arms of the Mayor.

Having made up his mind, Xander went into the Starting Slayer screen and selected the Bostonian Slayer. Backing out he went into the Optional Trait screen and considered the options. He immediately discarded Soldier Instincts and Carpenter. Faith's personality would overwhelm Carpenter Xander and her wilder nature would have her constantly at odds with Soldier Xander's discipline. While the One Who Sees Trait seemed very beneficial at first, there would be no combat bonuses like Soldier Instincts or Hyena Instincts provided and he would be a bigger target, perhaps even big enough to justify all the comments Buffy had made about him getting hurt in fights last time around. The Hyena Instincts trait would give him enhanced combat abilities, something he had always wanted as a better way to help, and gave him some of the social benefits that One Who Sees provided but did not make him into a manipulator. Plus, the Hyena interacting with Faith was sure to make things interesting if nothing else, so he selected Hyena Instincts as his Optional Trait.

Now his final choice was to select the two Starting Support Team Members. As much as it hurt him to do it, he immediately rejected Willow and Jessie. Jessie was such a wild card that you really needed a long-term plan and the time and effort to keep him alive long enough to train him up to make him effective. Willow, while a brilliant young woman and a good friend, was too volatile and narrow minded to be a real effective choice. In the last playthrough once she decided to learn magic she put computers behind her almost completely, showing her addictive personality as much as the endless hours she spent at the keyboard when she was younger. There were also a number of instances where she proved herself unreliable or clung to fantasies like a lifeline despite whatever anyone else said. Jonathan also quickly went by the wayside, as he was a bit of a generalist with no real specialist areas, and he did become an annoyance in the last playthrough.

That left Cordelia, Oz and Tara for the two spots. Xander quickly decided to take Tara as his first choice, for a few reasons. Partly because she gave a Magical element to the team. Partly as she would help reign in the wilder impulses of the Hyena and Faith. Mostly though it was because she had been a very good friend and she had suffered a lot in the last playthrough and he wanted her around. Both Cordelia and Oz brought similar but different aspects to the final spot on the team. Both had some combat ability, though that was less of an issue with Hyena Xander and Faith on the team but another fighter was always a good thing and Tara had little ability there. They both also gave some social benefits, Oz for fringe and music groups around the town while Cordy more mainstream school social groups. Oz did have the greater eventual combat potential if he went Werewolf, something that Hyena Xander could control to some degree, while Cordy provided some respectability with the upper crust socialites and a potential source of income from her family's wealth.

In the end Xander decided that the increase in mainstream social interactions around Sunnydale High that Cordelia provided outweighed the slightly greater combat potential of Oz. Xander made the selection of Tara and Cordelia as his two Support Team choices and exited out to the new game screen. The Start Game button at the bottom was no longer greyed out and the image of a solo Xander on the left had been replaced with an image of a more confident and cocky Xander standing next to Faith. Cordelia was standing next to, and slightly back from, Xander looking out with a self-assured stare and her hands on her hips. Tara stood in the same position on Faith's other side, but with her head lowered as she looked up through her hair and her hands were held together at her waist.

Confident that the team was both well rounded, with major gaps like Magic and Social Skills being filled in by the Support Team yet still having a strong combat element, Xander pressed the Start Game button and the world faded to black.

* * *

Xander found himself sitting on a bench in the Quad of Sunnydale High but, just like on the bus at the end of the last playthrough, the world was still around him. Tara was sitting on the bench next to him, her head lowered, and her arms frozen in the motion of lowering her sandwich to her lap after a bite. The novice Wiccan was dressed in a light but long sleaved blouse and long flowing skirts in neutral earth colours that Xander remembered was mostly her trademark. Cordelia was frozen mid stride in her forceful march, positioned half way between the group of cheerleaders and jocks she had just emerged from the school with and the bench where Xander and Tara were sitting. She was dressed to kill… literally, as Xander spotted the flash of a thigh sheath for a dagger peeking out from under her designer skirt and the faint odd creases that he had learnt meant a concealed weapon in the long sleeves of her white blouse.

Glancing around the Quad, Xander noticed a few others. Willow was sitting alone on the far side of the Quad, reading a school book. Jessie was hanging out with two other guys who were neither popular nor outcasts, though his eyes seemed to be fixed on Cordelia. Neither Jonathan nor Oz were visible but through one of the side archways that lead to the rear parking lot Xander caught sight of Faith. She had just stepped off a motorcycle and was frozen in the motion of hanging her helmet over the handlebars. Xander knew Faith was too young to legally ride a motorcycle, but also knew that she would not care.

After a moment to take in the scene around him, the memories hit. Memories of the life the Xander in this 'reality' had lived up until this point.

Age four and offering a hand to a dark-haired girl who had been knocked down by some other running children at the kindergarten, who introduced herself as Cordy. Age seven and seeing Cordy stand up to her parents when they had insulted Xander because of his own parents. Age eight, standing in front of Cordy, between her and some mean boys who had tried to push her because they were jealous of her nice clothes, and telling them they would have to go through him. Again, age eight and Cordy verbally ripping into a girl who had mocked Xander's slightly shabby, and overly bright clothes.

Age twelve and a life changing trip to the Zoo where Xander got possessed by a Hyena, which saw Cordelia as his Pack Mate. Pushing the now possessed Zookeeper into the pit of Hyenas to protect Cordy, after the Zookeeper had supposedly taken the Hyena Spirit out of Xander. Xander being tied down to a bed by Cordelia as he raged and tried to bite anyone but her as he fought the remnants of the Hyena Spirit trying to take him over.

Age fourteen and their first brush with a Vampire who tried to bite Cordy, and discovering that when enraged Xander could tap into enough of the Hyena Spirt remnant to rip a Vampire's head clean off with his bare hands, though that had left him extremely drained. The first almost disastrous patrol where Xander and Cordelia had barely been able to defeat a single Vampire as they did not really know much about them.

Being discovered, two months later, in a sparring session by Cordy's parents and finding out that they actually knew about the Supernatural and the weird things that happened around Sunnydale. Xander moving into a 'granny flat' on the edge of the Chase Estate, which was bigger than his old home, to get away from his drunken parents. Numerous trips to the mall with Cordy and Mrs Chase to get him new clothes, either to keep up with the new styles by Cordy's instance or to replace clothes damaged on Patrol.

Eight months ago, first meeting Tara by saving her from a bunch of bullies in the halls of Sunnydale High on her first day, with Xander physically interceding while Cordy verbally ripped all the bullies a new one. Saving Tara again three nights later when she was attacked by a Vampire. The blonde girl was huddled in a corner of an alleyway that she had been herded into, unable to get out because the Vampire was blocking the entrance but the Vampire seemingly unable to get to her either. Tara explaining that she could do some Magic, which had fascinated both Xander and Cordy. Cordy discovering two weeks later that Tara lived alone in a rundown little apartment in the bad part of town. Mr and Mrs Chase allowing Tara to move into the 'granny flat' that they had given Xander. After a few weeks of badgering, Cordy convincing her parents to let her move into the 'granny flat' as well. Tara creating 'protection amulets' for Xander and Cordelia that in an emergency could help repel a Vampire, like she had used the night they had saved her in the alleyway.

A month ago, meeting the new Librarian, Giles, and finding out almost instantly that he knew about the Supernatural. Convincing Giles that they could handle themselves around Vampires during a patrol where Xander had taken down four Vampires, three with a stake and one with his bare hands, while Cordy had killed two with the silver-plated daggers that had polished wooden inlays that she liked to use. Occasional trips to the Library to consult with Giles about specific Vampires or Demons they ran across.

A week ago, Giles had informed them that 'The Slayer', a mystically enhanced girl who could fight the Vampires, would soon be coming and to keep an eye out. He gave them a very rough description of the girl they were looking for. Dark hair, black clothes, tough attitude.

Xander went dizzy for a moment as the memories rushed over him, before he recovered. It was fortunate he recovered quickly because moments after he did, time seemed to start around him. Cordy strode over and dropped down on the bench next to Xander in a huff.

"H-H-How was the m-m-meeting?" Tara asked, her occasional nervous stutter rearing its head at Cordy's mood.

"God, some of those girls are just vapid morons." Cordelia complained. "It's a good thing keeping them in line is second nature or I so would have killed a few of them."

Xander could not help but grin at Cordy's comment. Stretching, as it seemed the stress of the selection process and the memory dump was getting to his body, Xander saw that Faith had entered the Quad and was looking around, not to mention getting more than a few stares with her tight black pants and almost too small tank top under a leather jacket.

"Hey, do you think she's the one Giles was telling us about?" Xander asked. "She seems to fit the description."

"Could be." Cordy mused.

Xander stood up and walked over towards Faith, with Cordy and Tara falling in behind him after a second. When he reached her, Faith was talking at one of the nerdier guys, who seemed to be concentrating on not passing out from having a living female speaking to him.

"Hey, are you a fucking retard or what?" Faith was saying. "Just tell me where the damn library is in this shithole."

"I take it you want to speak to Mister Giles." Xander said with a cocky grin on his face.

Faith turned to stare at Xander, raising an eye at his stylish, dark coloured outfit and then at first Cordy, who met her stare, and finally Tara, who was not looking at Faith directly in the first place.

"So, what's it to you if I am?" Faith asked.

"If you are, I'll say welcome, lead you to him and compare notes on dealing with pesky nocturnal pests." Xander said. "If not, I would recommend that there are other libraries around that would be more suited to your needs."

Faith's eyes narrowed and a lightbulb went off on the slight emphasis Xander put on 'pesky nocturnal pests', indicating that she got the message he was trying to convey.

"Lead on then." Faith said.

"Name's Xander." He replied as he indicated which way it was to the library and fell in beside her. "This is Cordy, and Tara."

Cordy had stepped up to Xander's other side and Tara was following along a step behind her more outgoing friends and the newly arrived Slayer.

"I'm Faith." The Slayer said.

"Welcome to Sunnydale, Faith." Xander said sarcastically.

TBC…


	3. Chapter 3

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

* * *

As they walked through the halls of Sunnydale High, Xander watched the students around him. Many of them were unfamiliar, either people he never got the chance to know last time around or newly generated background characters. A number nodded to the group in a polite but non-friendly manner; several waved to Cordy, and a lot stared at Faith, either in curiosity or lust. And not all those lusting after the Slayer were guys, or even students. There was also fear of Xander in more than a few of the glances, some from prior interactions and some instinctual.

"Xand." One boy called out. "Your Girls going to let you have any fun after practice this afternoon?"

At first Xander did not recognise the boy, then a memory from the 'dump' surfaced and he recognised the boy from the Track Team. This Xander had joined the Track Team on Cordy's encouragement as both a 'socially acceptable' activity and a means to help control his Hyena instincts, which longed for the thrill of the hunt. With the Hyena enhancements, which made him stronger but only increased his running speed significantly over short distances. Xander could have done the 100 metre sprint in about seven seconds (well inside the World Record by almost two seconds), but instead he went for a longer distance race, the 800 metre which still required the speed needed to make it exciting for the Hyena but was long enough that it did not give him a 'Supernatural' advantage.

"We'll see, Mark." Xander replied with a grin.

The group had almost reached the Library when another group approached them. This group was three big, burly guys and a leaner but still fit guy. They stood in Xander's group's path in a way that was probably supposed to be intimidating.

"Harris." The lead burly guy said.

"Larry, Nick, Tom, Jimbo." Harry said.

Larry, Nick and Jimbo were the three burly guys, members of the Gridiron team. Tom was on the Track Team with Xander but disliked Xander as they both ran the 800 and Tom had been the Star Athlete prior to Xander's joining of the team.

"Cordy, Tara, can you please make sure that Faith gets to see Mister Giles like she is scheduled." Xander said.

"X-X-Xander." Tara began.

"Don't worry, Cub." Xander said. "I won't hurt them too much."

Tara blushed at the Cub comment. It had taken a lot to bring Tara out of her shell around Xander, even after saving her twice. That was one of the reasons Cordy had insisted that she stay in the Granny Flat with Xander and Tara. The shy Wiccan had taken to the teen Socialite more quickly due to her gender, but months of patient work, and consistently making sure to both pay attention and support the shy girl, Tara had finally accepted that neither Xander nor Cordy would intentionally hurt her and really were her friends, or 'Pack' as Xander sometimes put it. Once that realisation had been made by the Wiccan, she had truly let the other two in and given them her trust and loyalty. She now saw her role at to make sure that Xander and Cordy, Xander in particular, did not go too far in their more… abrasive personality traits.

Cordy ushered Faith around the four other boys, brushing off the Slayers protests, while Tara followed, giving Xander a worried glance from under her hair. Worried he may go too far, not that he would get hurt. It started when Larry threw a haymaker, and ended about twelve seconds later, with the four other boys groaning on the floor but suffering from no lasting injuries. Xander could have finished it much quicker, but he had to take his time to make sure that he did not permanently injure the boys. They were idiots, not real threats.

He left the boys on the floor and entered the Library. Two of the teachers, ones who were not too prejudiced against Xander, had seen the incident and would take the boys to the Nurse. He entered the Library to find tense attitude. Giles was standing over by the book counter, cleaning his glasses. Faith was sitting on the table, ignoring the chairs with her legs dangling off the edge of the table and shooting a glare at Giles. Cordy and Tara were sitting on the stairs to the upper level, Tara on a higher step to 'hide behind' Cordy.

"Ok, so we can rule out something I said." Xander quipped.

This got a small giggle from Tara, a head shake from Cordy and a confused look from Faith.

"So… what's happening?" Xander continued.

"The tweed wonder over here won't just let me get out there and kick ass. He wants me to go to school and train and shit." Faith said.

"I-I-It's not a b-b-b-bad i-i-idea." Tara said.

Faith shot the shy Blonde a look which got Cordy's ire.

"Eyes here buster." Cordy snapped, getting Faith's attention. "This isn't wherever you came from. This here is the Hellmouth. Whatever you faced before, there's stuff here that would chew it up and spit it out. Training will keep you alive. As nuts as it sounds, school will keep you sane."

"Oh yeah, you fashion doll, what do you know about it?" Faith shot back.

Faith noticed a pair of blades appear in Cordy's hands before she was bodily lifted and slammed down on her back on the table by her neck. When her vision cleared a few seconds later she saw Xander standing over her, his eyes flashing with a hint of yellow and an expression of barely controlled feral rage on his face that touched something deep inside the Bostonian Slayer.

"No one speaks to my Pack like that." Xander growled. "Cordy has been killing Vampires and Demons since before you adopted the bad girl attitude, let alone knew about the Supernatural. I get you are used to being the top dog, being the Slayer and all, but here I am Alpha and you will respect my Pack or we will be waiting for the next Slayer to arrive. Understood?"

When she felt the wetness in her pants, for a moment Faith thought she had pissed herself but then quickly realised the wetness was something else. And she did not know what was more embarrassing. Faith looked up into the eyes staring down at her and saw something that she never thought she would see, especially since she had become the Slayer. Someone who was as strong, tough and stubborn as herself, who would not back down and played by their own rules.

"Fine." Faith said. "But don't expect me to get good grades or do the research shit. I mostly just kill stuff."

"We'll help you with the school stuff." Xander said, his eyes softening to hide that hard, wild inner strength. "Giles and Tara will most likely do the hardcore research stuff but you will still need to know what we face in the field and how to defeat it."

"We?" Faith asked.

"Yes." Xander replied. "Cordy and I will be accompanying you on every patrol. No one goes anywhere alone at night. Meet us at this address tonight. 7pm. Got it?"

Xander handed Faith a slip of paper with their address written on it. Cordy and Tara joined Xander and they left the Library.

"The Council has arranged for a small but comfortable apartment for you to reside in…" Giles was saying as the doors closed behind Xander's group.

 **Social Increase with Faith: +100 Points**

 **New Social Status with Faith: Trusted Acquaintance**

 **Romantic Increase with Faith: +55 points**

 **New Romantic Status with Faith: Wet Dream Fantasy Material**

 **Social Increase with Giles: +20 Points**

 **Professional Status Increase with Giles: +60 points**

 **New Professional level with Giles: Neophyte**

 **Your Party can now access limited training options with Giles**

 **Your Party now has unrestricted access to Sunnydale High Library**

 **Faith obtains New Professional Level with Giles: protégé**

 **Faith has access to advanced training options with Giles**

 **Social Increase with Tara: +70 Points**

 **Social Increase with Cordy: +65 Points**

 **Romantic Increase with Cordy: +10 points**

Xander read through the almost solid wall of, mostly transparent, Game Status notifications that overlaid his vision as he walked. There appeared to be three Social Interaction Categories. First was Social, which seemed to be related to friendship levels; the second was Professional Status, which indicated that certain individuals with learnable skills needed to see you as worthy of their teachings, and probably also affected any employer as well. The final was Romantic, which spoke for itself.

He could understand Cordy's Romantic increase, him physically and verbally ripping into Faith, especially when it was in her and Tara's defence, was something Cordy would find mildly arousing. Having a good, long insult session with the cheerleader is what lead them to making out in janitor's closets in the last playthrough, and they had not-quite-hated each other at the time.

Faith's increase was a bit surprising though, but Xander figured she liked a strong man who could stand up to her. The Romantic Status was a bit of an eye roller though, even if it led him to thoughts of how that title might be applied by the Slayer.

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

* * *

Xander sat in his room of the 'Granny Flat' with the Game Menu open, occasionally glancing at the clock in the top corner of his vision as the game did not pause when the Menu was open. There were five basic tabs in the menu. The first was his own Character Sheet, which showed his two Traits, 'Tears of a Clown' and 'Hyena Instincts' and his basic stats shown as a bar, not as number. The second tab was 'Active Slayer', that had the stats bars for Faith and her own Traits of 'Instinct over Rationality' and 'Mix and Match Combat'. The third tab was a list of 'Potential Slayers', which currently only showed Buffy and Kendra with a brief description, but there were also a number of blank spaces below. The fourth tab was 'Support Team', split down the middle with Character Cards of Tara and Cordy on the left, which he could click on to get more detailed information on them, while the right had greyed out Character Cards for the other Starting Choices. The final tab was 'Other Contacts' for the details of other contacts or trainers, which currently only held Cordy's Parents and Giles.

Xander was looking through a list of areas of supply that Mr Chase had access to, reading a particularly interesting entry on how Mr Chase had gained the trust of an arms dealer down in South America when he noticed that it was almost time for Faith to arrive for their Patrol. Quickly changing into his 'Hunting Clothes', which were dark coloured, comfortable and gave free range of movement for fighting, Xander went downstairs to the small cupboard that they used as an Armoury. Cordy was already there in her own 'Hunting Clothes', like his, dark and comfortable but more stylish and the only outfit she owned with pants instead of a skirt, strapping the holsters for a brace of throwing knives around her right calf, before grabbing a pair of long bladed daggers to put in the shoulder holster rig, designed to sit cleanly down her ribs under normal circumstances but to pop the hilts forward when she cross-drew the daggers from the opposite side of her chest. The daggers themselves were beautiful, with razor-sharp steel edges but the body of the blade was plated in silver with small wooden inlays. Like all their weapons, procured through Mr Chase's vast network of contacts, they were handmade and designed to fight Vampires and Demons, so the silver plating and the wooden inlays were part of the design of the daggers rather than later add-ons to mass produced weapons. Testing the sit of her daggers, Cordy stepped back to allow Xander access to the Armoury.

As Xander stepped in to arm up he heard a knock at the door and Tara answer it. Thanks to the Hyena, he could hear that it was Faith at the door, but regardless Cordy went out to supervise just in case. Xander started with the thigh holsters, clipping them to his belt and securing them around his thighs with small leather straps. These were not gun holsters, they were for the next items he retrieved, a well-crafted and beautiful pair of Sais. Like Cordy's daggers, the steel core of the main shaft and the two flanking tines were plated in silver and had wooden inlays. Unlike the normal portrayal in Hollywood Movies, the main blade of the Sai's was not sharpened to a point but had a blunt end, but the weapons still had enough power to penetrate with a solid thrust. The two Sai's settled into the holsters and Xander snapped the safety clips over the hilt to keep them in place. The Sai's were to satisfy the Hyena's demands for up close combat and its instinct to use its claws. The next weapon was Xander's choice, for the opening stages of an encounter. The matte black, pump action crossbow was made of high tensile plastics and alloys, had a safety switch and could hold six wooden coated carbon fiber, steel tipped bolts in the internal magazine and one ready to fire.

Walking out into the living room Xander saw Tara and Cordy sitting on the couch with Faith gesturing wildly, obviously in the middle of one of her over the top stories. She turned as Xander entered, not noticing the relieved look on Tara and Cordy's faces.

"Oh, crossbow. Sweet." Faith said.

"Hand's off. This is mine." Xander replied. "So, what armament have you got?"

"Several stakes, some knives." Faith replied with a shrug.

"Good enough for now." Xander replied. "We can get you some personalized weapons later. Let's review the patrol plan."

"First, p-p-protection." Tara interrupted.

She drew out three necklaces with a small, dark stone pendant hanging from the end.

"Emergency p-p-protection. S-s-say 'Sanctuary'." Tara explained.

"How long will these one's last?" Cordy asked.

"T-t-ten seconds." Tara said, looking ashamed.

"Excellent work, Cub." Xander said with a grin, causing Tara to blush.

* * *

Xander racked the pump of the crossbow and fired off a third bolt, which hit the onrushing Vampire in the shoulder making it scream in pain for a moment until Cordy's throwing knife took it in the throat. Xander was about to rack he pump again when Faith rushed past him to engage the remaining seven Vampires in hand to hand, so Xander dropped the crossbow and pulled out his Sais.

"Cordy, support." Xander snapped, getting a nod from Cordelia.

Xander charged in, attracting the attention of three of the Vampires away from Faith. The first one to reach him had simply charged in with his arms wide as if trying to crash tackle Xander, so he slid the point of one of his Sais through the gap between two ribs and pierced the Vampire's heart, allowing the wooden inlays to do their job. The other two Vampires coordinated their attacks so Xander reverse his Sais, so the main blade lay protectively along the outside of his forearms with the hilt sticking forward. Xander blocked the punch from one Vampire with his left forearm, who nearly broke the bones of his fist against the Sai's blade, while he used the knuckle at the end of the right-hand Sai's hilt into the solar plexus of the other Vampire.

Vampires are Demons inhabiting a human corpse and therefore were susceptible to the hardwired reactions of the human body and its nervous system. Only a few truly ancient Vampires have ever been able to override these reflexes, so when the Vampire, who was only a decade into its unlife, was hit by the strong blow, it's body reacted by struggling to breathe through the injury despite the fact that it did not need to breathe, taking it out of the fight momentarily. A flurry of quick strikes against the other Vampire with the hilt of the two Sais broke the Vampire's ribs and crushed its throat, leaving it open to driving a Sai through its heard. As its partner disintegrated, the Vampire that had taken the blow to the Solar Plexus had almost gotten over its reflex action when a Sai entered from its back and pierced its heart.

As the last of his three Vampires dusted, Xander turned to see that Faith was beating the last of her Vampires before driving a stake into its heart, leaving the only Vampire left being the one that had taken the crossbow bolt and throwing knife. Cordy walked up the downed Vampire, pulled out the bolt and knife before driving her dagger into the Vampire's heart.

"That was fun." Faith said, panting slightly from the exertion. "But I'm kind of glad you were here. Ten by myself would have been a bitch."

"Yeah, they have been packing up for about a month or two, rather than the usual solos or pairs." Cordy explained. "Though ten is more than most groups have."

Xander could see the look in Faith's eye that the 'Juices were flowing', or as Faith herself would say, she was hungry and horny.

"We'll sweep down Revello Drive before dropping you off at your apartment, Faith, before Cordy and I head home." Xander said.

"You gonna leave me high and dry?" Faith semi-whined.

"Good things come to those who wait. Or bad if that's you thing." Xander said with a smirk.

Cordy whacked Xander over the back of the head.

"Hey." Xander protested.

"Keep the Hyena in check, or do I have to break out the restraints again?" Cordy threatened.

"Kinky." Faith said with a grin.

"Shut up, Faith." Cordy growled.

Xander smiled at the interactions. Well, that and the system messages stating that his Social and Romantic status with both Faith and Cordy increased slightly. This play though might actually turn out to be fun.

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

* * *

Faith and Xander were walking side by side down the hallway of Sunnydale High with Tara walking a few spaces behind. Cordy was not with them as she had Cheerleading practice.

Things had been interesting the last three weeks since the game had started. They had taken out about sixty Vampires, more than they had seen most years outside of 'apocalypse season' in the last playthrough. Last time any of the groups they had faced would have been a major threat to Buffy as she almost always insisted on fighting alone or only with Angel. With Faith, Xander and Cordy working together they were almost as easy to tackle as a single Vampire was to Buffy.

"Faith, your personal weapons arrived, so you can come over tonight to get them." Xander said.

"Sweet, I can't wait to try them out." Faith replied.

"W-w-we have t-t-that thing tonight." Tara interjected.

"Oh yeah, that Gallery opening." Xander mused. "That's right, Cordy wanted me to tell you to be at our place at Six Thirty, Faith. It's formal, but Cordy has picked out a dress for you."

"Woah! Wait. What the fuck? A dress?" Faith said in confusion.

"One of the downsides to being known as a friend of Cordy." Xander said with a shrug. "You got to attend this kind of stuff. It's easier than trying to fight her on it. You don't show you will hear about it for months. And she might withhold your weapons."

"Cordy w-w-will keep you from m-m-making too many mistakes." Tara added. "I-I-I'm not too comfortable with t-t-these events either."

Xander could not help but take a little bit of enjoyment from the burgeoning look of fear in Faith's eyes. It was kind of funny that the Bostonian Slayer would face down Vampires and Demons without pause but was scared almost to death by the idea of wearing a dress, let alone going to a formal function.

"Tell you what." Xander began with a feral smirk. "Come on over now, and we'll let you get a feel for your personal weapons until Cordy gets home. She'll get you and Tara ready."

"Thanks." Faith said sarcastically.

"No problem." He replied. "Of course, now you owe me a favour."

The three of them returned to the 'Granny Flat', Faith almost bouncing with excitement about getting her personal weapons. When they got inside, Tara lead Faith to the couch while Xander retrieved a solid wooden box. Sliding the lid off the box, Faith stared down at the weapons nestled in the box. Like Xander and Cordy's weapons, the metal was a steel core with a silver coating and wooden inlays, while the handles were made of simple but beautiful, matte finished Ebony, carved so well they felt moulded to her hands. Beneath the weapons were a pair of thigh holsters to match the weapons.

"These are perfectly balanced." Faith said.

She rolled first one and then the other of the Tomahawks in an outside circle. Putting them briefly back down into the box, Faith hugged first Tara and then Xander.

When Cordy arrived home after Cheerleader practice, Faith and Xander were sparring, Xander's Sais against Faith's Tomahawks, though the Tomahawks had plastic covers over their blades to ensure there were no accidents.

"I see Faith likes her Tomahawks." Cody said, as she dumped her bag on the floor near the door. "Time to get ready. Tara, the dress I picked out last night. Xander, the Navy-Blue suit. Faith, I'll show you the dress I got for you."

* * *

Cordy, Xander, Faith and Tara entered the Art Gallery Opening party. Xander looked quite handsome in his Navy-Blue suit, so long as you did not realise that the slight creases in the jacket was the Shoulder Rig that Cordy usually wore in combat, with her Daggers sheathed in them.

Cordy, as always, was immaculately dressed in an elegant dark, knee length, red dress, with a belt of throwing knives strapped to her thigh under the dress. Her dark hair was flowing freely over her shoulders.

Tara's dress was cream coloured, long and flowing, reaching almost to the ground with a slit up the side and form fitting above the waist. Tara's hair was flowing down her back, kept away from her face by a pair of thin braids from her temples that were secured to the back of her head.

Faith's dress was the definition of a 'little black dress', and the Slayer projected sex appeal, with her hair back in a ponytail.

"Welcome to the Sunnydale Art Gallery." The mature female proprietor of the Gallery greeted. "My name is Joyce Summers."

Cordy did the general meet and greet, which was a good thing as Xander was thrown for a loop. Thanks to Mr and Mrs Chase, Xander knew that the preparations for the Gallery opening had been in the works for several weeks, but as he had not seen Buffy around he had assumed someone else was opening the Gallery.

"So, Mrs Summers." Xander began.

"Please, call me Joyce." Joyce said.

"Ok Joyce. What prompted your move to Sunnydale?" Xander asked, turning on the Hyena's confidence and charm to get her to talk about something so… private.

The story was pretty much the same as last playthrough. The affair, the breakup, the move, except this time, without the Slayer influence and its disruption of her social life, Buffy had decided to stay in LA with her father.

Cordy spent the night socialising with all the Sunnydale Social Elite. Faith had found a pair of female guests who were more her scene, one a punk with blue hair and her friend who was a Hipster Photographer who was able to get in a few good comebacks to Faith and her friend's comments. Tara spent the first half hour trying, and failing due to how nice she looked, to hide in a corner, and then she was engaged in conversation by pair of women who both projected the same 1920's movie star elegance that Tara unknowingly portrayed.

As for Xander, he spent the majority of the evening with Joyce. In the last playthrough he had spent a fair amount of time with Joyce, who he had come to see as a maternal figure. He had missed that relationship over the last few years of the last playthrough since Joyce's death.

Several Social Increases rolled by for Joyce during the evening, but Xander was quite surprised when near the end of the Opening a different message rolled by.

 **Social Increase with Joyce: +20 Points**

 **New Potential Support Team Member: Joyce Summers**

 **You have unlocked the first new Potential Support Team Member**

 **Please refer to the Support Team tab to discover the skills of this Potential Support Team Member and the Requirements needed to add them to the Team.**

The Opening wound down shortly after and Xander saw Tara had joined up with Cordy but Xander had to drag Faith away from her new friends, the Punk Chloe and the Photographer Max.

The group escorted Faith back to her apartment and then returned to the 'Granny Flat' without nocturnal incident.

"T-T-That w-w-was fun." Tara said.

"I made a few contacts that should be beneficial." Cordy added.

"I'm getting kind of tired. Goodnight." Xander commented before heading up to his room.

He was not overly tired, despite sparring with a Slayer earlier, but he really wanted to see what Joyce had to offer as a Support Team Member, and what was needed to recruit her. He also figured he would check on the requirements of the original Support Team choices.

He kind of had a plan for training Jessie, or more accurately he had a plan to get Cordy to convince Jessie to train himself up as useful potential member as a way to become her friend, but not boyfriend. The only issue was in which area Jessie would be most useful, though that was a long term, back burner plan.

Settling on his bed, he opened up the Support Team menu and clicked on Joyce's portrait to see what she had to offer.

TBC…

A/N: The idea of the Tomahawks for Faith come from 'I am what I am' by MMcGregor. A great Xander/Faith and Xander/Buffy Fic. Chloe and Max, the girls Faith was talking with, is from the game 'Life is Strange'.


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

* * *

Xander swore under his breath as he stabbed one Vampire through the heart, dusting it. Things had been going too well. There had been no random badness on a near weekly basis, no major angst or anything. His relationships with Faith, Cordy and Tara were all improving, and his plan to bring Joyce into the Support Team was progressing well. Joyce was a non-combatant but had life experience and, surprisingly, a graduate degree in Psychology that would help keep the group grounded and sane, not disillusioned and suffering from PTSD like the Scoobies had gone through in the last playthrough.

Xander should have seen this coming, but it had just looked like another group of eight Vampires they came across on patrol. The first indication that something was wrong was the fact that the Vampires had stood their ground rather than charge. Given Faith's tendency to charge anyway, with Xander and Cordy supporting them, they had been committed before the trap had been sprung. Another forty-one Vampires had emerged from the shadows surrounding the trio. There were four groups of ten vampires closing in from the cardinal points and a single Vampire standing by himself, hanging back. The solo vampire had shoulder length dark hair, a small but distinctive scar on the point of his chin and a very short sword sheathed at his belt. He was obviously a Master Vampire.

"Pop 'em, and break through." Xander ordered.

"Sanctuary." All three called out and a shimmer appeared briefly around them.

Putting their shoulder down to take the blow, they all charged towards on group of Vampires the magical shield pushing the Vampires out of the way, making them sprawl on the ground as the trio passed through. A second after they pushed past the encircling Vampires, the Magical barriers failed. The trio took off away from the scene of the ambush, with the four Vampires from the group they had charged through hot on their heels and the Master Vampire shouting orders.

The trio were traveling fast for normal Humans as even Cordy, who was the slowest in the group, was an incredibly fit young woman even before she started fighting Vampires. The Vampires were faster. Either Faith, as a Slayer, or Xander, with his Hyena enhancements, could have outpaced the Vampires, but they were not going to leave her behind.

"Now." Xander ordered quietly once both the trio and the four chasing Vampires were out of sight of the ambush site.

The trio stopped on a dime, turned and charged into the surprised Vampires. The fight was quick and brutal. In seconds the trio were on the run again and the four Vampires were dust.

The 'chase' quickly evolved into a long game of cat and mouse, with the Vampires breaking down into groups of two or three and searching Sunnydale in a methodical search pattern. Xander, Faith and Cordy tried to avoid the search parties as much as they could, often hiding out on rooftops, and only killing the searchers when there was no other option as that would give away their position.

The search only ended seven hours after the ambush when the sun finally rose and the Vampires had to retreat from its burning rays. While they would have been safe if they had of gone home, the Vampires would have known where they lived and could have sieged their home. When they finally reached the 'Granny Flat', Faith joining them as none of them were comfortable with her being alone, they found Tara still awake, having sat up all night worrying about them.

She had been relieved when they had walked through the door unharmed but beyond exhausted. Tara listened in rapt attention when they gave her an outline of their night, pleased that her Amulets had helped save them. Once the quick retelling was done they all crashed. Faith had tried to crash in Xander's room with him, but Cordy almost had to drag her to a spare room. If Cordy was not going to be 'sleeping' with Xander, Faith sure as hell wasn't, especially after the night they had just had.

* * *

The group had gathered in the Library to fill Giles in on the events of the night before, with the late afternoon sun shining through the windows. They had all skipped out on classes that day, they had all been asleep.

"A sword. And a scar?" Giles mused.

"Yeah. Seemed kind of odd. He was obviously right handed and the sword was at his right hip." Xander said.

"The scar was odd too." Faith added. "It was just under his chin but it was not a cut or anything. It seemed almost like a callous."

"Oh dear." Giles said, removing his glasses and cleaning them with a cloth. "This could be quite bad."

"Lay the badness on us." Xander said, wearily.

"Is this the kind of sword the Master Vampire was wearing?" Giles said, showing them a drawing and getting nods from Xander, Faith and Cordy. "It is called a Gladius. It was the weapon of the Roman Legions. The helmet of the Roman Legions were tied under the chin, which resulted in a distinctive scar."

"So, the guy was a Roman Legionary?" Xander asked.

"Yes, which is a big problem." Giles replied. "Not many Roman Legionaries were ever turned. Only three have been recorded as surviving into the 20th Century. One has ruled the underworld in North Africa since 1264, and was confirmed to still be in his Fortress as of three years ago. Another was killed in 1944 by a Slayer as part of a joint operation with the Allies in Italy. He was working for the Nazis. The last is really a nasty piece of work."

"Worse than working with the Nazis?" Cordy asked.

"Quite a bit, actually." Giles admitted. "For a few reasons. His name is Gaius Quintus Longinus. He is about two thousand years old, and was the Roman Centurion who stabbed the side of Jesus on the Cross. Legend has it, he was not turned but instead he was either cursed or empowered, depending on who you talk to. He is smart, disciplined and ruthless. He has been involved in almost every major War since the time of the Crucifixion, many it is believed he intentionally started. He has been known to lead bands of Mercenary Vampires in several conflicts. He will train them ruthlessly for decades, if not centuries, before leading them in battle. Once the war is done or he gets bored with them, he kills them off and starts again a few decades later."

"That explains why the Vampires have been getting organised recently." Xander concluded.

"Yes, though it appears as if he is only getting started. Which could be fortunate." Giles continued. "Once fully trained, his 'Dark Legion' as it has been called, was as loyal, tough and disciplined as the Roman Legions at their height, the greatest military machine in the history of the world and the deadliest fighting force prior to the invention of modern Firearms."

"Fucking brilliant." Faith said. "Anything to make this worse?"

"He is supposed to be immune to crosses." Giles said apologetically. "Has the same other weaknesses as other Vampires though."

"Gee, thanks." Faith responded sarcastically.

"I will keep researching." Giles promised. "Faith, don't forget we have a training session tomorrow after classes."

"Ohh, sparing." Faith said, shooting a look at Xander. "Ready to get hot and sweaty?"

"Will be, but not with you." Xander replied. "I got track training."

"Bugger." Faith grumbled.

"I guess you are stuck training with me." Giles said.

"Thank god he said training, or I would have needed to flush out my brain." Cordy said.

"Go. All of you." Giles ordered.

"I-I-I'll help w-w-with research while y-y-you train Faith." Tara said.

"That would be much appreciated." Giles nodded.

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

* * *

Xander held his arm up to prevent Faith from rushing forward towards the Vampires below them. Faith growled softly at him in agitation and Xander growled back, the Hyena in him demanding Faith submit to him. Faith backed down and wiggled slightly as her panties dampened slightly and Cordy simply rolled her eyes, careful to keep still as the same happened to her.

It was a week after 'The Ambush' and a few days before Halloween. Xander had changed their Patrol patterns to avoid a repeat of 'The Ambush'. Now the trio altered when the they patrolled, sometimes doing multiple small patrols and others a single large patrol, and picked different areas to patrol so that the Vampires could not predict where they would be. Another massive change was that they took to the rooftops, ambushing groups of Vampires with crossbows, aiming to cripple, and then moving in to wipe them out with their personal weapons.

"What's the matter?" Cordy asked quietly, looking down at the group of Vampires below them.

"Smells wrong." Xander replied.

"Come on, they're right there." Faith urged.

The trio watched as the group of six Vampires reached the end of the alleyway below them. The lead Vampire turned and made a signal and a further nine Vampires emerged from doorways down the alleyway and joined up with the original six.

With a quick gesture from Xander, they moved away from the alleyway across the rooftops. Once they were a few blocks away, they stopped for a moment.

"I'm calling it for tonight." Xander ordered.

"Oh, come on, it's still early." Faith protested.

"Settle down, Faith." Cordy snapped. "You almost ran us into another Ambush back there."

"We could have taken them." Faith grumbled.

"And drawn in another thirty or so Vampires with the noise." Xander countered. "We can't take them all in a stand-up fight at the moment, Faith."

The trio quickly made their way back to Joyce's house, where both Joyce and Tara were waiting for them. It had been two days after 'The Ambush' that Joyce had become a Support Team member, and since then they had used Joyce's house as their 'base' for patrols. It allowed Joyce to keep an eye on their mental health and it meant that Tara was not worrying alone while they were out. Also, the superb meals Joyce cooked for them was appreciated.

"You're back early." Joyce said as the trio walked in. "Dinner won't be ready for another forty minutes."

"I'm going for a shower." Cordy declared.

While Cordy headed up the stairs to the bathroom, Faith dropped onto the couch with her head in her hands while Xander went to the kitchen to chat with Tara. After a moment of sitting on the couch, Faith felt someone sit down next to her and looked out of the side of her eye to see Joyce on the next seat.

"Want to tell me about what happened?" Joyce asked in her 'mother' voice.

None of the teens could resist the 'mother' voice, but with her mother instincts and her Psychology Degree, Joyce mostly only used it when she knew there was something bothering one of the teens.

"The Vamps set up an Ambush tonight." Faith explained. "Xand caught it but we weren't seen, so we were still right to go but he pulled the plug."

Dinner was delayed as Joyce spent the next hour talking Faith through her impulse control issues and urge to always jump into a fight. Of course, it did not resolve the issues, but it was enough to ground the young Slayer for the evening. Luckily Joyce had deputised Tara to take over the preparation of dinner and the Wiccan knew enough to prevent it burning.

* * *

Xander was sitting at the breakfast bar in the 'Granny Flat' eating cereal when the system message appeared in his field of vision.

 _ **Special Event – Halloween.**_

 _ **Halloween has come around and so has Chaos Magic. For one night, what is on the outside overwrites what is on the inside. This will give you the opportunity to give yourself, your Slayer and the Support Team new skills and abilities or enhance existing ones. It will also be a night of violence and Chaos that could be dangerous to you and your team.**_

 _ **This Event can give you great power over the development of the team, but be careful with your choices. Some skills will conflict or degrade others if selected within the same character or can cause tension or conflict between team members.**_

 _ **In order to accept this Special Event, go to 'Ethan's costumes' and make the selection for each member of the team.**_

Xander dismissed the message and it faded from his vision as Tara came down, dressed in her long dressing gown over her conservative nightdress. It had taken a long time for Tara to become comfortable enough for even that.

A few minutes later, which Xander spent contemplating if to accept the Halloween Special Event, Cordy also came down. Unlike Tara, Cordy was dressed in rather skimpy negligee, designer of course. Xander found it a pleasant view and it caused Tara to blush slightly. Faith had spent the pervious night, after the detected ambush, over at Joyce's House at the elder woman's insistence. When the Bostonian Slayer was around she always got into contests with the Sunnydale Socialite to try and capture Xander's romantic attention. Xander was happy with how it would turn out either way but he was personally hoping they would settle it with naked mud wrestling.

"So, what's the plan for this weekend?" Cordy asked. "There are several Halloween Parties that we could attend. There are some that would be good to seen at socially. A few we should avoid like the plague."

"What about Faith and Joyce?" Xander asked. "Do these parties require Costumes?"

"Some do, some don't." Cordy replied. "Faith should be no problem, as long as she behaves, as much as Faith can. Joyce, well there are one or two with older attendees. We need to decide quickly in order to RSVP properly."

"Make me a list." Xander said. "Include if they require costumes or not."

"You got it." Cordy said, giving him a hug while pushing her breasts into his back.

* * *

"We all ready?" Xander asked.

Faith, Cordy, Tara and Joyce were all standing outside Ethan's Costume Shop. Cordy and Xander had decided to go to the Sunnydale Museum's Charity Halloween Costume Party. Joyce had agreed to go as much as a chance to explore the Museum's exhibits as to mingle and make contacts for her small gallery.

They all walked into the store and split up going to different sections of the store. For Xander a menu popped up in his vision. The menu contained a tab for each of the different Team Members with an individual listing of available costumes.

The first item on Xander's list of possible costumes was a familiar one.

 _ **Soldier Costume: Selecting this costume will give Xander the 'Soldier Instincts' trait. If Xander already has 'Soldier Instincts' Trait, the Soldier Costume will upgrade the 'Soldier Instincts' Trait to 'Special Forces Soldier Instincts' Trait.**_

' _ **Special Forces Soldier Instincts' improves Xander's situational awareness, firearms skills and removes the negative social penalty for anyone without 'friend' status.**_

 _ **Warning: If Xander prosses the 'Hyena Instincts' then the 'Soldier Instincts' Trait will conflict. The Discipline of 'Soldier Instincts' will be nullified, as will most of the 'Hyena Instincts' bonuses, in particularly the ability to track by scent and the speed and strength bonuses.**_

Xander read through the entry and realised that in the previous playthrough, the 'Hyena Instincts' and the 'Soldier Instincts' had been conflicting with each other and cancelling each other out to an extent.

Musing he began scrolling through the options. For Faith he was, ironically enough, looking for something to give her a bit more discipline. Joyce was going to be a pure non-combatant, so something like medical skills or advanced psychological training. For Tara, something Magical, maybe support or maybe combat.

For Cordy and himself, he was looking for more combat orientated skills, but he was open to other costumes if they gave good and adaptable skills.

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

A/N: All of the costumes used here were decided prior to the prior chapter being posted. Some as far back as Chapter 2.

* * *

Xander, Cordy, Faith, Tara and Joyce stepped out of Joyce's SUV and took a few moments to adjust their costumes.

Joyce's had been the easiest decision to make, mostly because Xander had the best idea on how he wanted to progress her Character. In the end it had come down to Doctor Beverly Crusher, Chief Medical Officer of the Starship Enterprise from Star Trek the Next Generation or Doctor Janet Frasier, an Air Force Major and Chief Medical Officer of the Stargate Command, from Stargate SG1. In the end he had chosen Doctor Frasier, mostly because Frasier was proficient with the level of technology available around him, was used to improvising and had to adapt to strange situations the SG Teams brought back through the Stargate. Crusher, on the other hand, relied on the superior technology of the Federation and when faced with something new could consult the Federation Database while Frasier had to figure things out herself. That and Joyce looked hot in the Air Force Dress Blues she was wearing, with a pistol at her waist and a 'Frasier' nametag and ribbons on her chest.

Cordy had been the next one he had selected. He had scrolled through quite a few options before he selected her costume. Cat Burglar. Supergirl. A robot Avatar of a giant space Warship. Even a Synthetic human that was made as a Soldier called a GI. In the end, when he read the entry he knew it was the perfect choice. She was dressed as a Wolf Sister from the Wheel of Time Series. A Wold Brother or Wolf Sister were humans who had the ability to talk to Wolves mentally over great distance, had enhanced eyesight and sense of smell. Wolf Brothers and Wolf Sisters were identified by burnished golden, Wolf like eyes; easily distinct from the sickly yellow of Vampires. As the Wolf Sister costume was a generic character, the costume only consisting of the golden contact lenses, they were able to craft a history for the Character that suited Cordy and the Team's needs. She was raised of a noble family living in an estate just outside the city of Tear, until the Wolves found her. As comfortable in the wilds as she was in the city, a master with her long bladed Daggers and did not loose herself to the Wolf. She would complement Xander's Hyena attributes well, as long as the Wolf Sister recognised Xander as the Alpha. Cordy was dressed in a grey silk dress with divided skirts. Her two personal Daggers in sheathes at her waist covered by a long grey woollen cloak with a hood. Her dark hair held back from her face in a loose ponytail down her back and the golden contacts glowing like real wolf eyes.

Faith's costume was also the result of a lot of thought and checking a huge number of options. He had wanted a costume that would give the Bostonian Slayer some discipline, in the Military sense not the kinky bondage sense, but not lose the adaptiveness and unpredictability that marked her style. Speaking of kinky discipline, there had been that Ponygirl costume for the Slayer, what the hell was that about? That was not something he could see Faith doing. Kendra, possibly. Buffy… maybe, but it would take a few drinks, and not necessarily Buffy doing the drinking. Soldiers, spies, superheros, Anime Characters and Mythical Deities were considered and discarded. After a long time, he had finally decided on having her dressed as Major Motoko Kusanagi from Ghost in the Shell, a Cyborg soldier working for an organisation called 'Section 9'. The Major was a stealth operator who could work well in teams but was known to occasionally go 'rogue' and act without orders and used 'therm-optic' Camouflage, which allowed her to turn completely invisible. Faith was dressed in dark grey tactical outfit with an assault rifle in her hands and a heavy pistol holstered at her thigh. Her long hair was tucked up under a dark wig with the Major's iconic short bob haircut and a transfer prosthetic of the six data-jacks in the back of her neck. He had been a bit worried that it would turn Faith into a Cyborg, which would require maintenance and facilities that they did not have access to, but the entry had assured that it would not, instead it would use her Slayer Powers to emulate most of The Major's abilities.

For Tara, it had not been a matter of finding an appropriate costume, it was more a case of too many options each of which would affect the dynamics of the team. He had considered obvious option like Hermione Granger or Luna Lovegood from Harry Potter or one of the Halliwell Sisters from Charmed or the Lady Gladriel from Lord of the Rings. He also scrolled through other options like an Aies Sedai or Aiel Wise One from the Wheel of Time series or a Psyker Inquisitor from Warhammer 40K. In the end Xander had gone with a more generic RPG style Magic User costume. Tara was dressed in her normal clothes, just armed with a delicately carved quarterstaff, a silver circlet in her hair, which was done in an elaborate but not ostentatious braid that Cordy had done for her. Like with Cordy's costume, Xander had gone over with Tara the history and the spells that she wanted for the Character. There were a few offensive spells but the focus was more on protective and detection magic.

For himself, Xander went through a lot of Costumes. A LOT! Superheros. Fantasy Characters, from Movies, Games and Books. Action Heroes. Historical Figures. Science Fiction characters. Unfortunately, he wanted something very specific from his costume. He wanted a costume with leadership skills, some discipline but not so much that it overrides his Hyena instincts, combat training, interesting personality and not totally 'evil' but not totally 'good' either. Most of the costumes either had the Leadership, combat or discipline skills but were morally black/white or had no personality; or they were chock full of personality but were sidekicks or useless characters. He had been more than half tempted to say 'fuck it' and go as Deadpool, but he figured the game would give him a 'kick in the Chimichangas' and take the healing factor with it when the event ended and leave him multiple cases of late stage Cancer.

In the end he was dressed in dark brown pants and loose shirt that was open to his navel and secured by a rope belt around his waist. He had a woven, circular hat on his head, secured under his chin by a chord and a wig that extended his hair down below his shoulders. At his waist, secured in his belt, was a Katana, in a red sheath with a black chord wrapped hilt inlayed with a white diamond pattern. Wrapped and tied high on the sheath was a red stone secured in a blue chord. The Character was called Jubei Kibagami from the Anime Ninja Scroll. A vagabond Ninja who was an expert swordsman, who was resourceful and pragmatic, and able to defeat a group of Supernatural Ninja called 'The Eight Devils of Kimon' despite having no supernatural powers himself, at the cost of his comrade Kagero.

Joyce gave one final adjustment to the fall of her Dress Blues Jacket and Tara picked up her quarterstaff from where she had leant it against the car.

"Ready, everyone?" Xander asked.

The four women nodded and the four teens fell in behind Joyce as she led them up the broad stairs that swept up from the carpark to the entrance of the Museum. They were met at the door by the Curator and the Head of Community Relations for the Museum. The Curator was dressed in kakis and a pith helmet while the Head of Community Relations looked slightly uncomfortable in her Pocahontas costume, looking more like she would rather be in a suit with a clipboard.

Having passed the greeting party, they moved into Museum proper. There was music and the sound of conversation drifted in from the various different rooms.

"I am going to have a look at the Dutch Masters gallery." Joyce announced.

"I.. I… I'll come." Tara added, getting a nod of encouragement from Xander.

After Joyce and Tara moved off, both Cordy and Faith took a hold of one of Xander's arms, Cordy looping her arm through his gracefully like a princess at a ball while Faith was practically draping herself over him with her hand sliding inside his open shirt until he shot her a glare. She did remove her hand from his shirt but shot him a sultry look.

"So… where's the erotic section." Faith asked.

"Zip it." Cordy snapped. "You are a guest here of the Chase Family."

"Girls, what have I told you about fighting?" Xander admonished.

"I told you, I am not jelly wrestling." Cordy replied. "Well, not with her."

"I'm game." Faith said with a smirk.

Xander rolled his eyes, and kind of hoped that the chaos of the night would kick off as they walked into the Egyptian exhibit.

TBC…

A/N: I am not sure what to do for the next chapter, the Chaos of Halloween night or skip to the epic aftermath of the following morning. Let me know what you think.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: The Sunnydale Chronicles

Author: Knife Hand

Feedback: Constructive feedback appreciated, flames unappreciated

Spoilers: Nothing Specific.

Rating: R

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy, or Willow, or Faith, or Tara... I would buy them all but I am broke.

Summary: Life is a computer Game, and Sunnydale is the arena, but it is not the Slayer or a Demon who has the ability to decide its fate.

* * *

Faith woke up in the spare bedroom she used at the 'Granny Flat', completely naked. With a mild full body ache for a moment she thought she had gotten lucky last night, but rolling over with a slight groan she saw the bed empty and the other side's sheets undisturbed. That was not wild monkey sex ache that was hard combat ache.

Right, time for a check. No injuries. Check. Costume clothes. Torn but check, next to a sweet duster jacket. Tomahawks. In their holsters hanging from the hook behind the door. Therm-optic camouflage. Working, check. Wait… the therm-optic camouflage was working. That sparked the memory of the night before, being chased by a group of kids in demon costumes, not that the Major knew that. Ducking around a corner, she had ripped off her tactical outfit, tossed it into a corner and activated the therm-optic camouflage. The Major had gone back twenty minutes later, after knocking the group of 'mini-monsters' out as they panicked about their invisible foe, and ambushing an adult monster for his Duster. Faith now recognised that adult monster as a real Vampire.

Shaking herself from the memory, Faith got dressed and left her room. In the kitchen, Xander was sitting sideways on a chair that had been pulled from the dining room, with Joyce checking the stitches from a few wounds Jubei had received the night before. She could remember the Major watching Jubei fighting a bunch of actual Vampires and having a hard time of it, not because he was failing to do damage, but because he did not know what he was fighting and the kept recovering from human fatal wounds. Once Jubei figured out that decapitation killed the Vampires he was able to dispatch them rapidly.

"These are holding well." Joyce said. "If you get a fever or any of these become inflamed, let me know immediately."

"Yes, Ma'am." Xander replied.

"I will make sure to thoroughly inspect Xander every morning and evening." Faith offered.

"That won't be necessary." Joyce insisted. "You're up next Faith. I need to establish baseline data on you."

"After Breakfast." Faith waved it off. "Where is Cordy?"

"Wolf-girl's outside with her new friend." Xander said.

Faith nodded. With Cordy and Tara it had been different than for Faith, Xander and Joyce. The latter three all went as well established characters, while Cordy and Tara's costumes had been more generic, meaning that they were not different personalities but rather how Cordy and Tara would have been with the agreed upon histories and abilities.

For Cordy that meant she had still been Cordy, but a Cordy who could talk to Wolves. Wolf-Sister Cordelia of the Minor Noble House of Chase had split from the rest of the group early in the night. In the early hours of morning, well after Jubei had learnt how to deal with Vampires, the group had been backed into a corner, literally, by almost forty of Longinus' 'Dark Legion' Vampires. By that stage, Jubei had been exhausted, bleeding and barely able to hold onto his Katana but still managed to kill seven Vampires; Tara had been able to fire off one fireball which set three on fire before she was magically exhausted; The Major, dressed in the ripped remains of her tactical outfit with the stolen Duster over the top, had used the last of her ammunition on the knees of the Vampires who were recovering faster than she hoped; and Doctor Frasier was by Tara's side trying to keep the Witch conscious and on her feet. All four of them were ready to meet their death when Cordy and her new friends, in the form of fifteen Grey Wolves that she had 'liberated' from the Sunnydale Zoo arrived on the scene.

Cordy had glided through the Vampires, slicing and stabbing with her daggers, the silver and wooden inlays making quick work of them, while the wolves were going either for necks or hamstrings. When the dust settled, again literally, nine Vampires were running, one of the Wolves was dead and another two were wounded, but all five of the humans were alive.

Looking out of the kitchen window into the back yard, she saw Cordy asleep in the gazebo, hugging a fully grown female Grey Wolf, who was laying beside the sleeping girl like a friendly pet dog. Faith was not fooled though. She had seen how much damage each of the Wolves could do alone, but when they worked as a Pack they were almost unstoppable.

Faith poured some cereal into a bowl as Joyce finished looking over Xander and he put his shirt back on. Faith sat down at the breakfast bar while Xander and Joyce were getting their breakfast. Tara entered into the kitchen, dressed in a long bathrobe and her hair wet from a shower, and slumped into a chair at the breakfast bar. She still looked exhausted.

"You ok, Tare?" Faith asked.

"Tired." The Wiccan replied. "Physically ok, but magically drained still."

Joyce quickly looked Tara over, checking her temperature and her eyes before nodding.

"You'll be fine." Joyce said. "Now that you've finished, Faith, time for your medical."

Faith looked down and saw her bowl empty. Fuck!

* * *

Cordy awoke in a situation that was both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. For Cordy Chase, sleeping outside with a Wolf was most certainly a first, but for Lady Cordelia of House Chase, it had been her life for the last six years. She snuggled into the fur of Night River and the Wolf licked her face. Night River had almost seemed to adopt Cordy as something between a Cub and a best friend.

The night before when Lady Cordelia had reached out with her mind from her location at the Museum, she had found the wolf pack at the Zoo and introduced herself. When talking to Wolves introducing yourself meant sending your scent and Wolf Name, but Lady Cordelia also sent an image of her human self.

 _-Two Leg Who Talks?-_ had come the reply, from a female Wolf, who turned out to Night River.

Cordy's Wolf Name was 'Snow Stalker', or perhaps 'She how hunts in the Snow' was a better translation. Unlike human names, Wolf Names were complex images interlayered with smells, sounds and other senses. 'Snow Stalker' came from Lady Cordelia's the first contact her Pack had with Darkfriends and Trollocs, huge human and animal hybrid soldiers of the Shaddow. It had been a snow-covered forest in Andor, when the Pack had gone North from Tear in order to help Young Bull and Long Tooth, two Wolf Brothers.

A female wolf, stalking through the shade of the trees, with inches of snow laying on the ground and a soft curtain falling. The cold air burning in her lungs and the snow crunching softly under her paws. The vague sound of grunts and fighting around her, but her focus on her prey, ignoring the Two Legs and the Twisted Ones as she was stalking a Neverborn. The feel of her Pack around her and her heart pounding at the hunt. The Snow Stalker.

Cordy promised, as she made her way from the Museum to the Zoo, that if the Pack helped her with the Unnatural Ones, she would get the Pack out of the Hard Place and into the Forests. The Pack had eventually agreed and Cordy had broken them out of the Zoo and lead them to the wooded area to the east of town, near the Chase Estate. There were twenty Wolves in the Pack, but four of them were yearling cubs. The cubs had been left in the forest with one of the younger females, while the rest had come with Snow Stalker.

They had found a group of Unnatural Ones surrounding four Two Legs. The Pack fell on them from behind, ripping into the Unnatural Ones as viciously as Snow Stalker's original Pack had hunted Twisted Ones and Neverborn. Wolves only feared fire and they would go through fire to get a Twisted One or Neverborn. A young Male, Shadow for his dark coat, had died fighting the Unnatural Ones, throwing himself between the Unnatural One and Night River, allowing Night River and Snow Stalker together to kill it.

Snow Stalker and Night River had become fast friends and watched each other's back. Part of it was that Night River was curious about the Two Leg Who Talks.

Cordy sat up in the morning light and wiped her face where Night River had licked her. She glared at her Wolf friend and received what passed for a chuckle from the Wolf. Another Wolf, a male and Night River's mate called Wind Swept, emerged from the trees on the far side of the manicured lawns of the Chase Estate, stopping just outside the tree line. Night River loped across the lawns to her mate, while Cordy stood up and went inside the 'Granny Flat' to find Xander and Tara sitting at the breakfast bar while Joyce was looking over Faith.

"You're next, Wolf Girl." Joyce said.

"Think she needs a flea shot?" Xander asked.

"Tara?" Cordy said, nodding to Xander.

Tara blushed and then slapped Xander over the back of the head the way she had seen Cordy do a few times.

"Thanks." Cordy said.

TBC….


End file.
